Cute and Misunderstood: Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven: A Late Night Conversation

The streetlight in front of the house cast Haruka's warped shadow against the front door as she unlocked it as silently as possible. She opened the door quietly to prevent disturbing everyone sleeping inside; it was one-thirty in the morning. Late nights were a thing of custom for Haruka, she worked long, odd hours and arrived home at strange times. Some nights she arrived home much later if other jobs popped up but no such opportunity had presented itself tonight and so she had come straight home.

"I'm home," she announced quietly to the darkened hallway before she took her boots off. As she stepped further into the house she noticed a flickering light through the archway leading into the living room. Someone was still awake, really, it could only be one person. Making a detour into the kitchen, she grabbed a beer from the refrigerator then headed into the living room and plopped herself down on the couch next to the figure. The metal gave a sharp, loud crack and a hiss as she popped the top of the beer can. Taking a long pull of the contents she sighed in satisfaction as the liquid left a cold, biting trail down her throat.

Verdantia: Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight: Above and Below:Part One

"I received a visitor today," Minako announced, wasting not a moment upon Makoto's entrance into the drawing room. Minako's lips quirked and although both Makoto and Ami noticed, they remained silent and waited for the blonde to continue. "We've been summoned by her Majesty, Neo-Queen Serenity."

"What? Why?" Makoto blurted. To say the Traveler was surprised was an understatement, and she surmised from the Healer's expression of amazement that Ami had not anticipated such news either. She had been expecting a meeting where they discussed the information they sought from the blonde.

"Your appearance in Verdantia fits a much larger role than you thought. It was her Highness and her advisor that predicted your arrival," Minako explained. "Queen Serenity requested I discover your and Ami's whereabouts, which I would have happily complied with had you not come to me. Our meeting was destined."

Makoto could only stare at Ami in disbelief at Mina's words.

-x-x-x-

Wake up.

Wake up!

A voice spoke loudly and Rei woke instantly, knowing the voice came from inside her head. It was a familiar sound from her childhood; a voice that could be kind and loving or stern whenever necessary. When that voice spoke: Rei always obeyed. It was time to wake up. Her violet eyes opened slowly to greet utter darkness. Rei groaned as she stirred and the fine layer of dust covering her crumpled form shifted, motes floating into the air unseen as she rolled from her side onto her back. She coughed and brushed her face clean as best as possible in the dark; the jerky movement set off a pounding in her head that made teeth grit. She gently probed the spot below her right temple from where the pounding seemed to emanate and her fingers came away with a sticky substance. She bought her fingers to her nose and sniffed the sticky liquid gingerly; the copper scent of blood assailed her and she winced.

Barley Tea and Tatami

A oneshot from the Water Lilies universe.

Barley Tea and Tatami

Makoto sat on the tatami floor of the living room with her legs crossed. The wide sliding doors of the traditional house were pushed open to let in the summer light of the early Friday afternoon. Scents of various flowers from the inner courtyard rode in on light breezes that flowed through the rooms and corridors of the house every so often. It was a lovely day to be outdoors; but in spite of that the botanist was trapped inside for the duration of the report she was currently working on. The nodding flowers and whistling birds could not compete for her attention because there was something much better in store. It was not the completion of the report she was looking forward to but the fact that she would soon be free to spend the rest of the day with a certain blue-haired doctor.

Her emerald gaze was glued to the notebook screen perched on her lap. A smile appeared on her lips as an image of a smiling Ami floated in front of her mind's eye while her fingers flew furiously fast over the keyboard. For the past week she had been away due to work. She could have stayed and completed the report in Hokkaido while enjoying the heavenly weather but ultimately she preferred the comforts of home and especially the comfort of Ami's nearby presence. The smile morphed into a joyful grin as she typed the very last sentence.